With His Protection (For His Pleasure, Book 15) by Kelly Favor Page A

time.”
    “Maybe you should have just let them take our food.”
    His brow creased. “Are you kidding me?”
    “Aren’t our lives more important than a few packages of Ramen?”
    “Of course, but they probably would have attacked me anyway. They were spoiling for a fight and so I gave it to them.”
    “You gave them more than they bargained for,” she agreed, remembering how brutally he’d beaten the two would-be muggers. “How did you learn to fight like that?”
    Bryson shrugged, still looking at her cheek warily. “My father taught us to play sports from a young age. He believed it would help us to be more confident as we grew older—which was certainly true. And he also thought that boys should be taught to fight so that we weren’t bullied in school.”
    “Was he right about that?”
    Bryson glanced down at the washcloth, and Scarlett followed his gaze. The cloth was stained red. “Yeah, he was right about that,” Bryson said. “I don’t know if the ends justified the means or not.”
    “What do you mean?”
    Bryson was still more focused on her wound, but he kept talking. “My dad was pretty hard on me. He was teaching me to fight and so he got me used to being knocked around. In his mind, that meant nobody would ever bully me when I got older. But meanwhile, I felt like he was bullying me all the time—whether he intended to or not.”
    “That sucks.”
    He nodded. “It did suck. But then again, it all came in handy. Who knows what those two guys might have done to us if I hadn’t fought back?”
    “They probably would have taken the backpack and left,” she said, smiling.
    He looked up at her, momentarily annoyed—and then a grin spread across his face. “You’re right. That’s probably what would have happened.” His grin faded. “I’m sorry I didn’t let them just take our stuff. It’s my fault you got hurt.”
    “I’m glad you protected me. But I also feel like it’s mostly better to walk away from a fight if there’s a way to do it. I wouldn’t have been upset or thought less of you if you’d backed down and let them take that food. It’s just stuff.”
    Bryson stripped off his coat and took hers as well, putting them on the coat rack by the door, where they dripped steadily.
    Scarlett’s clothes were soaked too. “What I wouldn’t give for a hot shower,” she said.
    “I wish you could have it,” Bryson said. “But,” he continued, opening the backpack they’d taken from the store and rummaging through it, “you can still have a beef jerky strip if you’d like one.”
    She held out her hand and he passed it to her.
    “Oh, teriyaki, my favorite.” Scarlett ripped the plastic casing open and started to chew on the hardened beef strip.
    Bryson began laughing as he watched her. “I didn’t really think you were going to eat that.”
    “Why not? I love beef jerky.”
    “Have at it, then.” He stood up, grimacing a little.
    “You okay?”
    “My back’s a little sore now. I’m going to go change.”
    She watched him shuffle off to his bedroom. Scarlett smiled, watching him as he disappeared into his room. The rain was pelting the glass of the apartment windows and the wind howled again, but she was actually feeling safe and cozy inside with Bryson.
    They were lucky to have escaped relatively unharmed from their encounter outside the convenience store.
    They had food (even if it was just tuna fish and Ramen noodles) and water. Then again, Scarlett had never been the type who needed to be wined and dined in five star restaurants.
    She went to her bag in the corner of the room and pulled out a new, fresh set of clothes. Luckily, she’d packed enough clothes for this extended stay at Bryson’s home.
    Scarlett glanced over at Bryson’s bedroom and saw no sign of him.
    It was easier to just change out here, she decided. Stripping off her shirt and pants, she was about to take off her soaked bra and panties when she heard a low whistle from down the hall.
    She